Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1940, General, Volume I

711.61/792

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Welles)

[Washington,] December 10, 1940.

The Turkish Ambassador^52a called to see me. Mr. Murray⁵³ had informed me previously that the Ambassador, by instruction of his Government, desired to know the nature and tenor of the conversations which had been in progress between this Government and the Soviet Government.⁵⁴

I told the Ambassador that I was most happy to communicate to the Turkish Government, through him, in every detail the conversations which had taken place. I stated that the conversations were solely of an economic and commercial character and had been undertaken for the purpose of solving the accumulated mass of problems of this nature which had arisen during recent years and which had created extreme bitterness on the part of the Soviet Government and extreme irritation on the part of the United States.

I told the Ambassador that I was glad to say that these conversations had in part proved successful and that I believed the Soviet Government now realized that this Government had made every effort to grant, in a spirit of equity and friendship, certain requests made by the Soviet Government, and that I was glad to say that on the other side, the Soviet Government had now solved many of the difficulties with which the United States had been confronted in its relations with the Soviet Union. I said that it was my thought that the conversations would continue from time to time and that it was my belief that many of the problems which still existed could be settled in this manner. I stated that, of course, where certain questions of fundamental principle were involved, notably the question of recognition of the Soviet domination of the Baltic States,⁵⁵ I saw no immediate solution.

I said that as a result of these conversations I believed a far more friendly atmosphere existed in the relations between the two countries and that I thought that one clarification had been reached which was highly useful, namely, joint recognition that insofar as the Pacific area is concerned there is no conflict of interest between the Soviet Union and the United States.

The Ambassador stated that he was most grateful for the expositions which I had given him and that his Government felt that its own position vis-à-vis the Soviet Union was greatly strengthened as a result of the better relationship which had now developed between the Soviet Union and the United States. He added that he believed that the Soviet Government was far more greatly influenced by the attitude of the United States than might appear upon the surface.

I took occasion to read to the Ambassador some of the contents of Ambassador MacMurray’s telegram No. 214, December 9, 4 p.m.⁵⁶

S[umner] W[elles]

1. Mehmet Münir Ertegtin.
53. Wallace Murray, Chief of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs.
54. For correspondence concerning these conversations, see vol. iii, pp. 441 ff.
55. For information regarding the forcible occupation of the Baltic States and their incorporation into the Soviet Union, see pp. 357 ff.
56. Not printed.